The Bucks’ desperation at the trade deadline could doom them for years to come if they trade away a future draft pick. ESPN’s Anthony Slater was shocked that they would even consider the possibility of Milwaukee parting ways with their 2031 first-round pick to appease Giannis Antetokounmpo in the short term. It’s a move that could cost the Bucks a potential future top-five pick without making them into a championship contender now.
"So they're going to shoot themselves in the foot again at this deadline and throw a pick that could be a top five come 2031 to get a [player]?"
Trading away a draft pick could destroy the Bucks’ future
After trading away most of their valuable assets in recent years, the Bucks have few options when pursuing a big trade. Their most attractive remaining assets, aside from Giannis himself, are probably their own picks in 2031 and 2032. By that time, even if Giannis stays on the team, he will be 36 years old and well past his prime.
Based on the Bucks' current young talent, they will probably have a weak team by that point. In 2031, most fans and analysts alike would expect the Bucks to be in the midst of a rebuild - a terrible time to trade away a pick. Sending out that draft pick now would be an extremely shortsighted move.
Giannis' recent injury adds even more reason to not trade away a future draft pick. The once-durable superstar has struggled with injuries in recent seasons as he gets older. Injuries arguably ruined his brief partnership with All-Star Damian Lillard, as the two were never able to stay healthy for a playoff run together.
If Giannis can't consistently stay on the court, even the return from trading away a future pick might not be enough to carry the Bucks. They are clearly very far off from title contention hopes right now, especially whenever Giannis misses time. A future without control of their own draft picks for the next five or six years is a very bleak outlook for such a struggling team.
The Bucks have dug themselves into their current hole with multiple risky trades over the Giannis era. It paid off in 2021 when they won a title after trading away significant draft capital for Jrue Holiday. But adding more assets to Holiday for Lillard has certainly come back to bite them. In the meantime, the Bucks have failed to hit on their draft picks in this time, which are often late in the first round due to their regular season dominance.
Once Giannis declines for good or retires, the Bucks will need some high draft picks to juice up the team. If they remove that possibility prematurely for short term gain, it will only make that eventual rebuilding era so much more painful. Whatever they do, they should not part ways with their 2031 and 2032 draft picks.